Borage

Borage
(Borago officinalis) Herb X; Seed oil: G

Folk Names: Bugloss, Burrage, Herb of Gladness, Star Flower, Borak, Lisan selvi, Lesan-El-Tour
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Jupiter
Element: Air
Powers: Courage, Psychic Powers
Magickal Uses:  Carry the fresh blossoms to strengthen your courage, or place one in your buttonhole for protection when walking outdoors.
   A tea of borage induces psychic powers.

[From: Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs]


[From Alchemy Works website]

Borago officinalis - Borage



This bold magick herb ruled by Jupiter and Leo was eaten for courage by Roman soldiers before they went into battle. Medieval knights wore scraves embroidered with the flowers for the same reason. Pliny said that borage-flavored wine was the Nepenthe of Homer, which when drunk brings forgiveness. In Elizabethan England, it was considered to lift melancholy; according to Culpeper, borage expells pensiveness and melancholy, and the candied or jellied flowers comfort the heart and spirits of those who are sick from consumption or from the passions of the heart. Gerard recommended eating this herb in a salad for joy and said that a syrup made of the flowers "purgeth melancholy and quieteth the phreneticke and lunaticke person." A contemporary commented that the flowers also "cheer the hard student." In Hoodoo, borage flowers in the house help bring about domestic tranquility. The flowers sprinkled in the bath are good for courage or for Jovian protection, and a cup of borage tea can help with feelings of vulnerability and disjointedness. Logically enough because of its connections to Jupiter, this herb is associated with the Hierophant in the tarot deck. This big, rough herb with its very blue flowers is great for cottage and herb gardens.

Mundane Uses


Borage has been cultivated since at least 1440 in Castille, Spain, in herb and ornamental gardens, and was brought to Europe by the Moors (it originated in Aleppo, Syria). It has been grown in the New World since 1494 and is naturalized throughout Europe, North and South America, and parts of Asia. The name "borage" comes from the Arabic name for this plant, abu arak, "father of sweat" because it induces sweating, which can be good if you have a cold coming on. In the Mexican botanical medicine formulary, a tincture for sweating consists of equal parts of red poppy petals, borage petals, elder flowers, and violet flowers. But the Celtic name for it, barrach, means "man of courage" and obviously focuses on borage's psychological effects. Borage is also known as tailwort, bee's bread, and starflower.

The fresh young leaves are good for salads, although many people dislike the fuzzy texture (and some people are sensitive to the hairs on the bigger leaves). The leaves are good for special effects - they spark and pop when they are burned due to their mineral content. Both the leaves and the pretty blue flowers smell and taste like cucumber. A tea of borage flowers and mint is especially cooling in the summer. Try freezing the flowers in an ice cube for a nice garnish to iced tea, especially if you have a suitor. According to folklore, if the person drinking the tea is someone you would like to marry, it will give them the courage to propose.:) The flowers will keep their color if dried carefully and are nice in pot pourri. The flowers are also a traditional garnish for summer drinks containing alcohol. Steep dried borage and rosemary in white wine for two weeks: "To drinketh wine imbued with the floures of borage is to increase his countenance and bringeth courage to the weak." You can also make a beautiful vinegar from white wine vinegar and borage flowers (add some of the leaves for extra flavor), and the flowers make a blue dye that turns pink with the addition of acid. It is okay to use this herb as a condiment, but don't eat large amounts on a regular basis, as it contains alkaloids believed to harm the liver in large amounts - the same ones as in comfrey, although it has only 5% of the alkaloids comfrey does. If you have a tender liver from past damage, don't use it. The oil of the seeds doesn't contain this alkaloid; I can attest that borage seed oil is great to add to your food if you have problems with dry eyes.

How to Grow Borage


Barely cover the seeds of this hardy annual to germinate in 7-14 days at room temp, or you can direct sow them in well cultivated soil May-June. Transplant to 12"/31cm apart to full sun, although it can grow in partial shade. It loves clay. This plant gets 3ft/.9m tall and 12"/31cm wide. Borage is a good companion plant for tomatoes, squash, and strawberries. Plant borage in a bunch so the plants can support each other - they can flop over in windy areas. Borage gets a taproot, so is good for breaking up previously uncultivated soils. Bees love the flowers, which have a lot of nectar. The flowers are normally blue, but sometimes they will be pink, even on the same plant. An occasional plant will have white flowers. Self-seeds when happy. General growing info
http://www.alchemy-works.com/


Overview:


Borage is a freely seeding, easy growing annual plant with vivid blue flowers and leaves with the flavor of cucumbers. It is consider an herb, but is often grown in vegetable gardens where it attracts pollinating bees and is considered a good companion plant for tomatoes, squash and strawberries. It’s even supposed to deter tomato hornworms and improve the flavor of tomatoes growing nearby.

Borago officinalis


Common Name: Borage

USDA Hardiness Zone:

Annual, but self-seeds readily.

Exposure:

Full sun

Mature Size:

H: 18 - 36" (45 - 90cm), W: 9 - 24" (22 - 60cm)

Bloom Period:

Late Spring to Mid-Summer

Description:

Borage is actually a somewhat gangly plant, but you barely notice it because the star-shaped flowers are so vibrant. They’re a true blue, hanging in downward facing clusters. Even the fussy white buds are attractive. Both the flowers and the leaves are edible, with a cucumber-like flavor. Use the leaves while they are young, because as the plant matures, the stalks and leaves become covered with a prickly fuzz.

Design Suggestions:

As mentioned above, borage is often grown in the vegetable or herb garden because it is such a bee magnet and because it is considered a good growing companion for other plants. However, it is equally beautiful in a cottage style flower garden, where it has room to self-seed. Harvesting or deadheading will keep it in bloom longer.

Suggested Varieties:

Borago officinalis is the only borage I have seen offered by seed companies.

Growing Tips:

Borage grows best if direct seeded. Barely cover the seeds with soil and keep well watered. They are tolerant of any type soil, even poor dry soil. However a sunny location with rich, well draining soil is optimal.
If you choose to start seedlings, transplant before they become pot bound. Plan to start seedlings about 3-4 weeks before the last expected frost and don’t transplant outdoors until the soil has warmed.

Once seedling are about 2-3" tall, thin to approximately 12" apart.

Maintenance: Plants in poor soil will benefit from periodic feeding with any fertilizer labeled for use on edible plants. Something with a high phosphorous number (the middle number on a fertilizer package) will help keep them in flower. Plants can be pinched or pruned, to encourage branching and to keep them shorter.

Harvesting: Harvest leaves and flowers as needed. Older leaves will get prickly, making harvesting anything on the plant a bit unpleasant. However, the flowers do add a bit of flavor and a great deal of color to salads, soups, dips & spreads, open face sandwiches, beverages and ice cubes. As with all edible flowers, use sparingly until you know how they effect you. Borage is said to have a mild laxative effect.

Borage is open pollinated and it is very easy to collect and save the seed from flowers allowed to remain on the plant and turn brown. Borage self-seeds readily, if allowed to go to seed naturally. Excess plants are fairly easy to remove from the garden.

Pest & Problems: Virtually problem free.


From:  http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/b/borage66.html  
---Synonym---Burrage.

---Parts Used---Leaves and flowers.

---Habitat---The Common Borage is a hardy annual plant coming originally from Aleppo but now naturalized in most parts of Europe and frequently found in this country, though mostly only on rubbish heaps and near dwellings, and may be regarded as a garden escape. It has long been grown freely in kitchen gardens, both for its uses as a herb and for the sake of its flowers, which yield excellent honey.


Description---The whole plant is rough with white, stiff, prickly hairs. The round stems, about 1 1/2 feet high, are branched, hollow and succulent; the leaves alternate, large, wrinkled, deep green, oval and pointed, 3 inches long or more, and about 1 1/2 inch broad, the lower ones stalked, with stiff, one celled hairs on the upper surfaces and on the veins below, the margins entire, but wavy. The flowers, which terminate the cells, are bright blue and star-shaped, distinguished from those of every plant in this order by their prominent black anthers, which form a cone in the centre and have been described as their beauty spot. The fruit consists of four brownish-black nutlets.



---History---In the early part of the nineteenth century, the young tops of Borage were still sometimes boiled as a pot-herb, and the young leaves were formerly considered good in salads.
The fresh herb has a cucumber-like fragrance. When steeped in water, it imparts a coolness to it and a faint cucumber flavour, and compounded with lemon and sugar in wine, and water, it makes a refreshing and restorative summer drink. It was formerly always an ingredient in cool tankards of wine and cider, and is still largely used in claret cup.

Our great grandmothers preserved the flowers and candied them.

Borage was sometimes called Bugloss by the old herbalists, a name that properly belongs to Anchusa officinalis, the Alkanet, the Small Bugloss being Lycopsis arvensis, and Viper's Bugloss being the popular name for Echium vulgare.

Some authorities consider that the Latin name Borago, from which our popular name is taken, is a corruption of corago, from cor, the heart, and ago, I bring, because of its cordial effect.

In all the countries bordering the Mediterranean, where it is plentiful, it is spelt with a double 'r,' so the word may be derived from the Italian borra, French bourra, signifying hair or wool, words which in their turn are derived from the Low Latin burra, a flock of wool, in reference to the thick covering of short hairs which clothes the whole plant.

Henslow suggests that the name is derived from barrach, a Celtic word meaning 'a man of courage.'

---Cultivation---Borage flourishes in ordinary soil. It may be propagated by division of rootstocks in spring and by putting cuttings of shoots in sandy soil in a cold frame in summer and autumn, or from seeds sown in fairly good, light soil, from the middle of March to May, in drills 18 inches apart, the seedlings being thinned out to about 15 inches apart in the rows. If left alone, Borage will seed itself freely and comes up year after year in the same place. Seeds may also be sown in the autumn. Those sown then will flower in May, whereas those sown in the spring will not flower till June.


---Part Used Medicinally---The leaves, and to a lesser extent, the flowers. Gather the leaves when the plant is coming into flower. Strip them off singly and reject any that are stained and insect-eaten. Pick only on a fine day, when the sun has dried off the dew.

---Constituents---Borage contains potassium and calcium, combined with mineral acids. The fresh juice affords 30 per cent, the dried herb 3 per cent of nitrate of potash. The stems and leaves supply much saline mucilage, which when boiled and cooked likewise deposits nitre and common salt. It is to these saline qualities that the wholesome invigorating properties of Borage are supposed to be due. Owing to the presence of nitrate of potash when burnt, it will emit sparks with a slight explosive sound.

---Medicinal Action and Uses---Diuretic, demulcent, emollient. Borage is much usedin France for fevers and pulmonary complaints. By virtue of its saline constituents, it promotes the activity of the kidneys and for this reason is employed to carry off feverish catarrhs. Its demulcent qualities are due to the mucilage contained in the whole plant.

For internal use, an infusion is made of 1 OZ of leaves to 1 pint of boiling water, taken in wineglassful doses.

Externally, it is employed as a poultice for inflammatory swellings.

Garlic

Garlic
(Allium sativum) N

Folk Names: Ajo (Spanish), Poor Man's Treacle, Stinkweed
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Deity: Hecate
Powers: Protection, Healing, Exorcism, Lust, Anti-Theft
Ritual Uses: Garlic was eaten on festival days to Hecate, and was left at a crossroads as a sacrifice in Her name.
Magickal Uses: Garlic was once worn to guard against the plague. It is still used to absorb diseases. Simply rub fresh, peeled cloves of garlic onto the affected part of the body, then throw into running water. An old spell utilized garlic in protecting against hepaitis. To do this, simply wear thirteen cloves of garlic at the end of a cord around the neck for thirteen days. On the last day, in the middle of the night, walk to a corner of an intersection of two streets,, remove the necklace, throw it behind you and run home without looking back.
   Garlic is also extremely protective. Sailors carry some while on board ship to protect against its wreckage. Soliders wore garlic as a defense in the middle ages, while Roman soliders ate it to give them courage. It is placed in the home to guard against the intrusion of evil, to keep out robbers and thieves, and is hung over the door to repel envious people. Garlic is especially protective in new homes.
   Worn, garlic guards against foul weather (mountaineers wear it) as well as monsters, and it also shields  you from the blows of your enemies.
   When evil spirits are about, bite into garlic to send them away, or sprinkle powdered garlic on the floor, (if you don't mind smelling it for some time). Garlic is also placed beneath children's pillows to protect them while asleep, and brides once carried a clove of garlic in her pocket for good luck and to keep evil far from her on her big day. Rubbed onto pots and pans before cooking in them, garlic removes negative vibrations which might otherwise contaminate the food.
   When eaten, garlic acts as a lust-inducer, and when a magnet or lodestone is rubbed with garlic it loses its magical powers.
[From: Cuningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs]

Garlic:  excerpts From Kate West's "The Real Witches' Year"

    While it has already been mentioned about warriors using garlic to give strength and courage before a battle, it was also given to their horses.  Another way to use garlic for home protection besides hanging it by the doorway is to plant it in tubs near the doorway or in hanging baskets.  To deter insects from entering the home, rub garlic arund the edges of all doors and windows. If you are badly troubled by insects sprinkle garlic powder on the floors to drive them out, but beware it will smell!
   It is used medicinally in a number of ways. A garlic solution can be used as an antiseptic and to wash and dress wounds. Garlic syrup was used to treat many respiratory complaints, from sore throat through to consumption. Certainly taking garlic helps to prevent colds and defends against winter infections, and it is an excellent aid to digestion. If you want to minimize the smell, chop rather than crush it before adding to dishes.
   Garlic is sacred to Hecate and the Greeks would leave it at the crossroads as a sacrifice in her name. Place garlic on your altar when working magick for protection, healing and when banishing unwanted influences. Rub a clove on the skin for protection prior to working on the psychic plane.

 Garlic does indeed have scientifically-proven medicinal properties. It contains a substance called Allicin, which has anti-bacterial properties that are equivalent to a weak penicillin. It appears that cooked garlic weakens the anti-bacterial effects considerably, however, so don't count on cooked garlic with meals for much in the way of a curative.


Garlic appears to have anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. The list is long when it comes to its uses as a remedy. This list includes wounds, ulcers, skin infections, flu, athlete's foot, some viruses, strep, worms, respiratory ailments, high blood pressure, blood thinning, cancer of the stomach, colic, colds, kidney problems, bladder problems, and ear aches, to name a few. It is believed to cure worms in both people and animals - try giving the dog a clove of garlic daily (but he's not gonna like it).

For most internal problems, eating garlic raw is probably the most potent way to take it. However, due to the obvious lingering odors associated with this, a tincture can be made by soaking 1/4 pound of peeled and separated garlic cloves in 1/2 quart of brandy. Seal tightly and shake every day. Strain and bottle after two weeks of this, and take in drops - 25-30 a day, if desired.

For cough, flu, and respiratory ailments, make a cough syrup out of garlic. Slice 1 pound of fresh garlic and pour one quart of boiling water over it. Let sit for 12 hours, then add sugar until you reach the consistency of a syrup. Add honey for better taste, if desired.

For sore throat, make a garlic tea by steeping several cloves of garlic in half a cup of water overnight. Hold your nose and drink it.

Externally, garlic is a known anti-bacterial and anti-infection agent. An interesting use for ear aches is to slice a garlic clove, heat briefly in a small amount of virgin olive oil, and let cool. Then use a drop of two in the affected ear (strain the mixture beforehand, of course).

Make an Ointment out of garlic (use cloves instead of leaves, stems, or flowers as described in Ointments) for wounds, cuts, athlete's foot, or any other external skin irritation, fungus, or infection. Also, try a few drops of Oil on a toothache for pain relief.
[From: http://www.gardensablaze.com/HerbGarlicMed.htm ]

This popular herb lowers cholesterol levels and blood sugar which helps prevent heart attack and stroke.


It may also reduce risk of blood clots and tumors.

It is useful in treating atherosclerosis, and high cholesterol.

This herb's antibacterial and antimicrobial properties make it useful in treating bladder and kidney infections, yeast infections, strep throats and ear infections.

It also contains compounds that prevent tumors from growing and works well with other anti-cancer treatments.

Lowers blood sugar levels in people with diabetes and has been shown to cut the risk of 2nd heart attack by one half.

It is an effective remedy against bacterial, fungal, viral and parasitic infections, and Candida albicans.

When crushed, raw cloves releases allicin, which has been shown to be a more potent antibiotic than penicillin and tetracycline.

It can be used for sore throats, colds, flus, bronchial and lung infections.

When there is infection in the gut, it is used to help re-establish beneficial bacterial population after orthodox antibiotic treatment.

This herb improves digestion, relieves wind and distension, and enhances absorption and assimilation of food.

Garlic also enhances the production of insulin, making it a useful remedy to lower blood sugar in diabetics.

Can be used as raw cloves, in oils, or in capsules.
[From:  http://www.herbalremediesinfo.com/GARLIC.html ]

Garlic, From Your Kitchen Pharmacy


By Betty Bennett, RN

Herbal Medicine is often thought to be a secret practice known to only a few specialists, whether they be Chinese Herbalists, Naturopaths or Appalachian Wise Women. But, in fact, our kitchens contain plants that can double as prescriptions for common ailments.

Consider garlic: This great tasting addition to any cook's kitchen has a number of properties that make it a useful medicine. Garlic has been used as an antibiotic for years. More recent research has demonstrated activity in cancer prevention and treatment, control of hypertension and diabetes, thinning the blood much as aspirin does, and cholesterol management.

Garlic's use as an antibiotic dates from the ancient times of Egyptian pyramid builders. During the days of the Black Plague, people who ate large amounts of garlic were spared from sickness. The French town of Marseilles was protected from a plague that was raging through France in 1722, largely due to a preparation of vinegar and garlic. During World War I British field physicians soaked sterilized sphagnum moss in garlic juice and applied it to wounds, greatly reducing deaths from infection.

But aside from these anecdotal reports, there is solid research behind the use of garlic as an antibiotic. In 1935 two Japanese researchers found that the antiseptic properties of garlic were found to be superior to penicillin in treating the typhoid bacillus.

Modern researchers have found garlic effective against Candida, Histoplasma, Cryptococcus, Tuberculosis, Influenza B, Herpes Simplex, Staphylococcus Aureus, Leprosy and even the Aids Virus.

As a flea, tick and mosquito repellent, garlic protects against diseases caused by these pests.

Evidence points to a role for garlic in preventing cancer. Because of its high selenium content, garlic prevents the production of free radicals which causes many cancers. Researchers in Japan have demonstrated a reduction in breast cancer, for instance. Furthermore garlic protects against stomach and colon cancer by blocking the formation of nitrosamines which are made from the nitrates used to preserve foods such as ham and sausage. In a controlled experiment, Chinese volunteers were given 300 mg of nitrates and 500 mg of proline (a proven chemical that produces nitrosamines). The subject's blood level of nitrosamines rose as expected. But subjects who ate 5000 mg of fresh garlic before their dose of nitrates and proline had no detectable levels of nitrosamines in their blood.

Reports have been published in Science Magazine and The America Journal of Urology and Cancer Research showing that compounds in garlic inhibit a needed chemical reaction inside cancer cells. The John Wayne Cancer Center in Santa Monica, CA, uses garlic as part of the treatment protocol for leukemia. In another cancer treatment center, garlic extract is administered to treat bladder cancer. Crushed garlic, applied to the skin, has reduced the size of, and occasionally eliminated, basal cell carcinoma. Natural killer cells (white blood cells that kill invading or abnormal cells) became more aggressive in patients who ate raw garlic or took a garlic preparation, called Kyolic.

Other scientifically demonstrate that the medicinal effects of garlic include small but significant reduction in blood pressure (2-5 points), anti-clotting properties similar to aspirin, reduction in blood sugar and triglycerides, reducing LDL and raising HDL, inhibiting inflammation, controlling asthma and bronchitis, increased life span, detoxification from heavy metal poisoning, and improved learning and memory performance.

The way that garlic is administered varies, and the effects of garlic vary with the method of administration. The easiest way is just to eat the raw cloves. The disadvantages of this is that the garlic odor exudes from the pores which can cause some social repercussions. One aficionado claimed that after he persisted in using garlic at a rate of 2 cloves a day for three weeks the effect was not so noticeable. There is no mention of his friends reaction.

There have been some successful attempts to solve the odor problem. Doctors Eugene Schnell and Manji Wakunaga working in Japan discovered a method for cold pressing whole garlic cloves and aging them for 20 months. The end product, called Kyolic, comes in capsules. Kwai is tablet form of dried garlic. Ajoene is a liquid derived from garlic. Manufacturers of the products claim that they are not only odorless, but contain increased levels of some of the key nutrients, including selenium.

And there we have it, the story of the humble garlic. Is it a delicious condiment or powerful healing herb? You decide.

No article on garlic would be complete without a few recipes to try.

Garlic Spread

One popular method, not exclusively for medical use, is to slice the tops off the clove, drizzle with olive oil, place in a garlic baker (or wrap loosely in foil) and bake slowly until soft. The cooked cloves can be squeezed onto bread or crackers as a spread.

Garlic Syrup

Peel and mince 1 lb. fresh garlic. Place in wide mouth jar. Add equal parts of vinegar and distilled water to just cover the garlic. Close tightly, shake well and let stand for 4 days. Shake the container at least twice daily during this time. Add 1 pint of glycerin, shake well and let stand another day. Force through strainer. Filter liquid through linen cloth. For topical application use as is. If given as an oral medication add honey and stir until blended.

An alternative to the above recipe is to replace the vinegar in the recipe above with the following liquid: add 3 oz of powdered caraway seeds and 3 oz of sweet fennel seed to 1 Qt. of vinegar. Boil for 15 minutes closely covered. Strain and cool. It can then be used in the above recipe.

Garlic Syrup can be used for asthma or cough: 1 tsp. every 15 minutes until spasm is controlled followed by 1 tsp. every 2-3 hours for the remainder of the day, then 1 tsp. 3-4 times a day.

Garlic Paste

Peel and mash one raw garlic clove. Apply directly to bee stings or other inflamed insect bites or stings.

Garlic Plaster

Peel and mash several cloves into a paste. Spread onto cheesecloth or muslin. Fold to close. Apply to skin, taking care that the raw garlic does not come in contact with skin. This is useful for fungal rashes or boils.

Garlic Compress

Boil water. Peel and chop several cloves of garlic. Add to boiling water, turn off the heat, cover and steep for 15 minutes. Cool to less than 180 degrees. Soak small soft cloth in the liquid, wring slightly and apply. Cover with a dry towel and leave until the warmth is no longer felt. Replace with new warm cloth and repeat until tingling is detected (about 30 minutes). Useful for fungal rashes or boils. One resource says that this is effective for muscle spasms as well.

Ear Ache Remedy

Make garlic oil by slicing a peeled clove of garlic into a small quantity of olive oil. Heat briefly. Cool and strain to remove the chunks. Apply a few drops of warm garlic oil extract into affected ear and seal with a small bit of cotton.

[From: http://www.herbalremediesinfo.com/garlic-article.html ]
 
And this from http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/g/garlic06.html
 

The Common Garlic a member of the same group of plants as the Onion, is of such antiquity as a cultivated plant, that it is difficult with any certainty to trace the country of its origin. De Candolle, in his treatise on the Origin of Cultivated Plants, considered that it was apparently indigenous to the southwest of Siberia, whence it spread to southern Europe, where it has become naturalized, and is said to be found wild in Sicily. It is widely cultivated in the Latin countries bordering on the Mediterranean. Dumas has described the air of Provence as being 'particularly perfumed by the refined essence of this mystically attractive bulb.'


---Description---The leaves are long, narrow and flat like grass. The bulb (the only part eaten) is of a compound nature, consisting of numerous bulblets, known technically as 'cloves,' grouped together between the membraneous scales and enclosed within a whitish skin, which holds them as in a sac.

The flowers are placed at the end of a stalk rising direct from the bulb and are whitish, grouped together in a globular head, or umbel, with an enclosing kind of leaf or spathae, and among them are small bulbils.

To prevent the plant running to leaf, Pliny (Natural History, XIX, 34) advised bending the stalk downward and covering it with earth, seeding, he observed, may be prevented by twisting the stalk.

In England, Garlic, apart from medicinal purposes, is seldom used except as a seasoning, but in the southern counties of Europe it is a common ingredient in dishes, and is largely consumed by the agricultural population. From the earliest times, indeed, Garlichas been used as an article of diet.

Cultivation---The ground should be prepared in a similar manner as for the closelyallied onion.


The soil may be sandy, loam or clay, though Garlic flourishes best in a rich, moist, sandy soil. Dig over well, freeing the ground from all lumps and dig some lime into it. Tread firmly. Divide the bulbs into their component 'cloves' - each fair-sized bulb will divide into ten or twelve cloves - and with a dibber put in the cloves separately, about 2 inches deep and about 6 inches apart, leaving about 1 foot between the rows. It is well to give a dressing of soot.

Garlic beds should be in a sunny spot. They must be kept thoroughly free from weeds and the soil gathered up round the roots with a Dutch hoe from time to time.

When planted early in the spring, in February or March, the bulbs should be ready for lifting in August, when the leaves will be beginning to wither. Should the summer have been wet and cold, they may probably not be ready till nearly the middle of September.

Winter Gardening - Starting Seeds Indoors

I've been giving some thought to what could be posted here during this cold time of the year, at least cold where I live.  I got a Herb Companion post in one of my e-mail boxes this morning and it kind got me fired up for trying, yet again, starting some seeds indoors.  So I am going to share some of the information here: 


The cold weather doesn’t have to stop you from spending time gardening. In fact, early winter is the best time to prepare for your spring garden. Start building your herb-seed wish list, organizing your beautiful seed packets and designing your garden space.


All herbs have their own preferences. Once you’ve purchased your seeds, pay attention to the information on the seed packet. But here are universal rules for successful seed starting:

http://www.herbcompanion.com/gardening/herbies-favorite-seed-catalogs.aspx

I love looking at gardening catalogues but I can never seem to achieve the wonders they show there.
Still it gives to nice daydreams.



• DON’T plant French tarragon and specific mint cultivars from seed. According to Nancy Bubel, author of The New Seed-Starts Handbook (Rodale Press, 1988), French tarragon doesn’t provide viable seeds and specific mint cultivars hybridize readily and, more often than not, fail to come true to the seeds listed in catalogs.

• DO plant in seed starting mix, not natural soil. Before your seeds sprout, DO provide seeds with the warmth they need by setting them on a warm furnace or a store-bought heat mat.

• DON’T just place seeds next to a window. Place seedlings on a table directly underneath a shop light. These lights are usually enough to provide sturdy, stocky seedling growth.

• DON’T use fancy “grow lights.” They are designed to help plants flower indoors, not sprout seedlings. Instead, use a cool white fluorescent tube light to give your seedlings an approximation of the sun they need, which is a lot.  Find them at any hardware store.

• DO keep seedlings close to the light—they should be almost touching the tubes. Adjust the distance between your herbs and the light. When seeds have to stretch for light, they become leggy and susceptible to garden damage.

• DO keep seed lights on at least 16 hours a day.

• DO water seeds moderately. Steer clear of watering too much or too little.

• DO cover unsprouted seedling trays with clear plastic to regulate moisture levels.
 
 I found the above suggestions to be helpful sounding at least and I am going to start making plans for herb bed layouts, what herbs I might want to dabble with this coming growing season, and just generally indulge in lofty gardening thoughts.
 

Myrrh

Myrrh 
(Commiphora myrrha) m]

Folk Names:  Gum Myrrh Tree, Karan, Mirra Balsom Odendron
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Moon
Element: Water
Deities: Isis, Adonis, Ra, Marian
Powers: Protection, Exorcism, Healing, Spirituality
Ritual Uses: Myrrh was burned to Ra at noon in ancient Egypt, and was also fumed in the temples of Isis.
Magical Uses: Burned as an incense myrrh purifies the area, lifts the vibrations and creates peace. However, it is rarely burned alone; usually in conjunction with frankincense or other resins. Myrrh increases the power of any incense to which it is added.

Myrrh is also included in healing incenses and sachets, and its smoke is used to consecrate, purify, and bless objects such as amulets, talismans, charms and magical tools. Myrrh also aids meditation and contemplation. It is often added to sachets, usually with frankincense.
[From Cunningham's Encyclopedia Of Magical Herbs]

Myrrh from the Dhofar region of OmanMyrrh is a reddish-brown resinous material, the dried sap of a number of trees, but primarily from Commiphora myrrha, which is native to Yemen, Somalia, the eastern parts of Ethiopia, and Commiphora gileadensis, which is native to Jordan. The sap of a number of other Commiphora and Balsamodendron species is also known as myrrh, including that from Commiphora erythraea (sometimes called East Indian myrrh), Commiphora opobalsamum and Balsamodendron kua. Its name entered English via the Ancient Greek, μύρρα, which is probably of Somali or Arabic origin, where it is known as (مر: Murr).

The name "myrrh" is also applied to the potherb Myrrhis odorata otherwise known as "Cicely" or "Sweet Cicely".
High quality myrrh can be identified through the darkness and clarity of the resin. However, the best method of judging the resin's quality is by feeling the stickiness of freshly broken fragments directly to determine the fragrant-oil content of the myrrh resin. The scent of raw myrrh resin and its essential oil is sharp, pleasant, somewhat bitter and can be roughly described as being "stereotypically resinous". When burned, it produces a smoke that is heavy, bitter and somewhat phenolic in scent, which may be tinged with a slight vanillic sweetness. Unlike most other resins, myrrh expands and "blooms" when burned instead of melting or liquefying.
Commiphora myrrha tree, one of the primary trees from which myrrh is harvested.The scent can also be used in mixtures of incense, to provide an earthy element to the overall smell, and as an additive to wine, a practice alluded to by ancient authorities such as Fabius Dorsennus. It is also used in various perfumes, toothpastes, lotions, and other modern toiletries.

Myrrh was used as an embalming ointment and was used, up until about the 15th century, as a penitential incense in funerals and cremations. The "holy oil" traditionally used by the Eastern Orthodox Church for performing the sacraments of chrismation and unction is traditionally scented with myrrh, and receiving either of these sacraments is commonly referred to as "receiving the Myrrh".

In Ancient Greece and Rome, a popular myth told the story of Myrrha, a young woman who was afflicted by the gods with an incestuous love of her father. Her old nurse helped her seduce him in darkness, and she fell pregnant. However, when her father learnt of her deception he was appalled and banished her. Taking pity on her, a god transformed her into a tree; hearing a child cry within the tree, some passersby delivered her baby Adonis, who was later the consort of Venus. The sap from which myrrh is derived is said to be the tears of the transformed Myrrha. This story of myrrh's origin is preserved in Ovid's Metamorphoses.
 
Myrrh was a highly valued commodity for commerce on ancient spice routes, and is woven into legend and myth. In Syrian legend the myrrh tree is named for the daughter of Thesis, a Syrian king. She was transformed by the gods into a myrrh tree to escape her father's murderous wrath.
 
In Chinese medicine, myrrh is classified as bitter, spicy, neutral in temperature and affecting the heart, liver, and spleen meridians. Its uses are similar to those of frankincense, with which it is often combined in decoctions, liniments, and incense. When used in concert, myrrh is "blood-moving" while frankincense moves the Qi, making it more useful for arthritic conditions. Myrrh also has been used in the treatment of amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, menopause, and uterine tumors, as its "blood-moving" properties can purge stagnant blood out of the uterus.


Myrrh has also been recommended to help toothache pain, and can be used in liniment for bruises, aches and sprains.

Myrrh is most commonly used in Chinese medicine for rheumatic, arthritic, and circulatory problems. It is combined with such herbs as notoginseng, safflower stamens, Angelica sinensis, cinnamon, and Salvia miltiorrhiza, usually in alcohol, and used both internally and externally. The use of myrrh medicinally was recorded in China in A.D. 600 during the Tang Dynasty. Myrrh is used today in Chinese medicine to treat wounds, relieve painful swelling, and to treat menstrual pain due to blood stagnation. Myrrh is called mo yao in China.

Myrrh is used more frequently in Ayurveda, Unani medicine, and Western herbalism, which ascribe to it tonic and rejuvenative properties. A related species, known as guggul in Ayurvedic medicine is considered one of the best substances for the treatment of circulatory problems, nervous system disorders and rheumatic complaints. Myrrh (Daindhava) is used in many rasayana formulas in Ayurveda.

However rasayana herbs have special processing. Outside of this form myrrh is said to be contraindicated for pregnant women or women with excessive uterine bleeding, and not be used with evidence of kidney dysfunction or stomach pain.

As of 2008, 35% of Saudi Arabians use myrrh as medicine.

In pharmacy, myrrh is used as an antiseptic and is most often used in mouthwashes, gargles, and toothpastes for prevention and treatment of gum disease. Myrrh is currently used in some liniments and healing salves that may be applied to abrasions and other minor skin ailments. It is also used in the production of Fernet.
 
Myrrh grows to a height of about 9 ft (2.7 m). The light gray trunk is thick and the main branches are knotted with smaller branches protruding at a right angle and ending in sharp spines. The hairless, roughly toothed leaves are divided into one pair of small, oval leaflets with a larger, terminal leaflet. The yellow-red flowers grow on stalks in an elongated and branching cluster. The small brown fruit is oval, tapering to a point.
 
General Use


   Myrrh is the sweet-smelling oleo-gum resin that naturally exudes from wounds or cuts in the stems and bark of several species of this shrubby desert tree. This sap forms a thick, pale yellow paste as it seeps out. It then hardens into a mass about the size of a walnut, taking on a reddish-brown color. The volatile oil contained in the resin consists of sesquiterpenes, triterpenes, and mucilage. The tannin content gives myrrh its astringent action. Powdered myrrh has been endorsed by the German advisory Commission E as a beneficial treatment for mild inflammations in the throat and mouth. Myrrh acts as a broad-spectrum antiseptic and can be applied directly to sores and wounds.

Taken internally in tincture or capsule form, myrrh is a beneficial treatment for loose teeth, gingivitis, and bad breath. The tincture may also be applied directly to a tooth to relieve tooth ache. It is antifungal, and has been used to treat athlete's foot and candida. Some research indicates that myrrh is effective in reducing cholesterol levels. It is a tonic remedy said to relax smooth muscles, increase peristaltic action, and stimulate gastric secretions. The myrrh resin has antimicrobial properties and acts to stimulate macrophage activity in the blood stream. The herb is being studied for its potential as an anticancer medication. Taken internally in tincture or capsule form, myrrh is useful for relieving gastric distress and as an expectorant, though this folk application has not been confirmed by experimental evidence. Myrrh is burned as incense and used to repel mosquitoes. It is also a component in healing salves used in veterinary medicine. In Chinese medicine, it is used for wounds, bruises, and bleeding.

Preparations


Myrrh is available in capsule, powder, and tincture form. It is pulverized into powder, and prepared as a tincture. It is found combined with other ingredients in dental powders, mouthwash preparations, and toothpaste. Myrrh is used as fragrance in cosmetics, perfumes, and soaps, and as flavoring in foods.

Tincture: Four ounces of powdered myrrh are combined with 1 pt of brandy, gin, or vodka in a glass container, with enough alcohol to cover the herb. A 50/50 ratio of alcohol to water is generally recommended. The mixture should be placed away from light for about two weeks, and shaken several times each day. Strain and store in a tightly capped, dark glass bottle. A standard dose is 1 or 2 ml of the tincture three times a day.

Essential oil: Myrrh's essential oil is pale yellow to amber in color. It is obtained by steam distillation. The essential oil is commercially available from numerous sources. It is said to be beneficial when used as a chest rub to treat bronchitis, and externally in diluted form on ulcers and wounds.

Gargle: One teaspoon of dry, powdered myrrh should be combined with 1 tsp of boric acid. One pint of boiling water is poured over the mixture and steeped for 30 minutes, then strained. This mixture is a good gargle preparation, according to herbalist John Lust.

Precautions

Myrrh should be avoided during pregnancy and should not be administered to children. It should be kept away from the eyes and mucous membranes and out of children's reach.

Side Effects

According to the PDR For Herbal Medicine, "No health hazards or side effects are known in conjunction with the proper administration of designated therapeutic dosages."

Interactions

No interactions are reported.

Holly

Holly
(Ilex aquifolium or I. opaca) V

Folk Names: Aquifolius, Bat's Wings, Christ's Thorn, Holy Tree, Holm Chaste, Hulm, Hulver Bush, Tinne
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Powers: Protection, Anti-Lightning, Luck, Dream Magick
Magical Uses: A par excellence protective herb, holly guards against lightning, poison and evil spirits. Planted around the home it protects it and its inhabitants from mischievous sorcerers. When thrown at wild animals, holly makes them lie down quietly and leave you alone, even if you don't hit them with the plant. Holly water (infused or distilled) is sprinkled on newborn babies to protect them.
   Holly is also carried to promote good luck, especially by men, since the holly is a 'male plant'. (Ivy is the corresponding plant for women.) It is also hung around the house for good luck at Yule.
   After midnight on a Friday, without making a sound, gather nine holly leaves perferably from a non-spiny plant (one that has smooth leaves). Wrap these up in a white cloth using nine knots to tie the ends together. Place this beneath your pillow and your dreams will come true.
[From: Cunningham's Encyclodepia of Magical Herbs]

Holly - Ellen Dugan's "Garden Witch's Herbal"

   Both the oak and the holly are symbolized by the summer and winter solstices. The holly is a symbol of the life force. It is a lucky tree to grow at home in your garden, as it is believed to protect the houme and its occupants from lightning , negativity, and bad luck. A popular plant with winter nature spirits, this shrub (or standard tree, depending on the variety) is one to consider adding to your gardens. The male holly was thought to be auspicious for men, while the female holly was a good-luck charm for women.

   How do you tell the male from a female holly? Well, the female holly produces plenty of berries, and the male holly produces small, pale green flowers (for pollination) and only a few berries. Also, if you have a female holly in your yard but there is no male to pollinate it, it will not produce any berries. You will need at least one male to fertilize all your female holly plants. Also, look at the names of the shrubs at the nursery such as 'China Girl' or 'China Boy'. Some of the older varieties of the holly feature smooth leaves that are variegated, smooth and lobed (female) or that are solid colors with prickles (male). The elemental correspondence for the holly is fire, and its planetary influence is Mars. Magickally, the holly is used for protectioin from angry spirits.                                                                             Male Holly Flowers


 The holly features prominently in winter solstice celebratoins and is used to decorate Yule logs, wreaths, and midwinter altars. The Irish name for the Holly is Tinne.

Varigated colored holly leaves.











From: http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/h/holly-28.html 
A Modern Herbal
Holly:
Parts Used---Leaves, berries, bark.


---Habitat---The Holly is a native of most of the central and southern parts of Europe. It grows very slowly: when planted among trees which are not more rapid in growth than itself, it is sometimes drawn up to a height of 50 feet, but more frequently its greatest height in this country is 30 to 40 feet, and it rarely exceeds 2 feet in diameter. In Italy and in the woods of France, especially in Brittany, it attains a much larger size than is common in these islands.

 
 
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Holly, the most important of the English evergreens, forming one of the most striking objects in the wintry woodland, with its glossy leaves and clusters of brilliant scarlet berries, is in the general mind closely connected with the festivities of Christmas, having been from very early days in the history of these islands gathered in great quantities for Yuletide decorations, both of the Church and of the home. The old Christmas Carols are full of allusions to Holly:

.......'Christmastide

Comes in like a bride,

With Holly and Ivy clad.'

---History---Christmas decorations are said to be derived from a custom observed by the Romans of sending boughs, accompanied by other gifts, to their friends during the festival of the Saturnalia, a custom the early Christians adopted. In confirmation of this opinion, a subsequent edict of the Church of Bracara has been quoted, forbidding Christians to decorate their houses at Christmas with green boughs at the same time as the pagans, the Saturnalia commencing about a week before Christmas. The origin has also been traced to the Druids, who decorated their huts with evergreens during winter as an abode for the sylvan spirits. In old church calendars we find Christmas Eve marked templa exornantur (churches are decked), and the custom is as deeply rooted in modern times as in either pagan or early Christian days.

An old legend declares that the Holly first sprang up under the footsteps of Christ, when He trod the earth, and its thorny leaves and scarlet berries, like drops of blood, have been thought symbolical of the Saviour's sufferings, for which reason the tree is called 'Christ's Thorn' in the languages of the northern countries of Europe. It is, perhaps, in connexion with these legends that the tree was called the Holy Tree, as it is generally named by our older writers. Turner, for instance, refers to it by this name in his Herbal published in 1568. Other popular names for it are Hulver and Holme, and it is still called Hulver in Norfolk, and Holme in Devon, and Holme Chase in one part of Dartmoor.



Pliny describes the Holly under the name of Aquifolius, needle leaf, and adds that it was the same tree called by Theophrastus Crataegus, but later commentators deny this. Pliny tells us that Holly if planted near a house or farm, repelled poison, and defended it from lightning and witchcraft, that the flowers cause water to freeze, and that the wood, if thrown at any animal, even without touching it, had the property of compelling the animal to return and lie down by it.

---Description---It sometimes sends up a clean stem furnished with a bushy head, or it may form a perfect pyramid, leafy to the base. The trunk, like that of the Beech, frequently has small wood knots attached to it: these are composed of a smooth nodule of solid wood embedded in bark, and may be readily separated from the tree by a smart blow. The bark is of a remarkably light hue, smooth and grey, often touched with faint crimson, and is very liable to be infected with an exceedingly thin lichen, the fructification of which consists of numerous curved black lines, closely resembling Oriental writing.

                                                                                                         More Holly Tree Flowers

The leaves are thick and glossy, about 2 inches long and 1 1/4 inch broad, and edged with stout prickles, whose direction is alternately upwards and downwards, and of which the terminal one alone is invariably in the same plane as the leaf. The upper leaves have mostly only a single prickle. The leaves have neither taste nor odour. They remain attached to the tree for several years, and when they fall, defy for a long time the action of air and moisture, owing to their leathery texture and durable fibres, which take a long time to decay.

Professor Henslow says:

'It has been gravely asserted that holly leaves are only prickly on trees as high as a beast can reach, but at the top it has no spines; that spiny processes of all sorts are a provision of Nature against browsing animals. The truth is that they are the result of drought. A vigorous shoot of Holly may have small leaves without spines at the base, when vigour was beginning; normal, large leaves in the middle when growth was most active; and later on small spineless leaves again appear as the annual energy is declining. Moreover, hollies of ten grow to twenty feet in height, with spiny leaves throughout, and if spineless ones do occur at the top, it is only the result of lessened energy. A cow has been known to be partial to some holly bushes within reach, which had to be protected, just as another would eat stinging-nettles: and the camel lives upon the "Camel-thorn." This animal has a hardened pad to the roof of its mouth, so feels no inconvenience in eating it.'

In May, the Holly bears in the axils of the leaves, crowded, small, whitish flowers, male and female flowers being usually borne on different trees. The fertile flowers are succeeded by the familiar, brilliant, coral-red berries. The same tree rarely produces abundant crops of flowers in consecutive seasons, and Hollies sometimes produce abundance of flowers, but never mature berries, this barrenness being caused by the male flowers alone being properly developed. Berries are rarely produced abundantly when the tree is much clipped, and are usually found in the greatest number on the upper part of the tree, where the leaves are less spiny.

The berries, though eaten by birds, are injurious to human beings, and children should be warned against them. Deer will eat the leaves in winter, and sheep thrive on them. They are infested with few insects.

The ease with which Holly can be kept trimmed renders it valuable as a hedge plant: it forms hedges of great thickness that are quite impenetrable.

It has been stated by M. J. Pierre, that the young stems are gathered in Morbihan by the peasants, and made use of as a cattle-food from the end of November until April, with great success. The stems are dried, and having been bruised are given as food to cows three times daily. They are found to be very wholesome and productive of good milk, and the butter made from it is excellent.

It is also well known to rabbit-breeders that a Holly-stick placed in a hutch for the rabbits to gnaw, will act as a tonic, and restore their appetite.

The wood of Holly is hard, compact and of a remarkable even substance throughout. Except towards the centre of very old trees, it is beautifully white, and being susceptible of a very high polish, is much prized for ornamental ware, being extensively used for inlaying, as in the so-called Tunbridge ware. The evenness of its grain makes it very valuable to the turner. When freshly cut, it is of a slightly greenish hue, but soon becomes perfectly white, and its hardness makes it superior to any other white wood. As it is very retentive of its sap and warps in consequence, it requires to be well dried and seasoned before being used. It is often stained blue, green, red or black; when of the latter colour, its principal use is as a substitute for ebony, as in the handles of metal teapots. Mathematical instruments are made of it, also the blocks for calico printing, and it has been employed in wood engraving as a substitute for boxwood, to which, however, it is inferior. The wood of the silver-striped variety is said to be whiter than that of the common kind.
A straight Holly-stick is much prized for the stocks of light driving whips, also for walking-sticks.

The common Holly is the badge of the Drummonds.

Cultivation---The Holly will grow in almost any soil, provided it is not too wet, but attains the largest size in rich, sandy or gravelly loam, where there is good drainage, and a moderate amount of moisture at the roots, for in very dry localities it is usually stunted in its growth, but it will live in almost any earth not saturated with stagnant water. The most favourable situation seems to be a thin scattered wood of Oaks, in the intervals of which it grows up at once. It is rarely injured by even the most severe winters.


Holly is raised from seeds, which do not germinate until the second year, hence the berries are generally buried in a heap of earth for a year previously to being sown. The young plants are transplanted when about a foot or 18 inches high, autumn being the best time for the process. If intended for a hedge, the soil around should be previously well trenched and moderately manured if necessary. Holly exhausts the soil around it to a greater extent than most deciduous trees. At least two years will be needed to recover the check given by transplanting. Although always a slow grower, Holly grows more quickly after the first four or five years.

The cultivated varieties of Holly are very numerous: of these one is distinguished by the unusual colour of its berries, which are yellow. Other forms are characterized by the variegated foliage, or by the presence of a larger or smaller number of prickles than ordinary.

In winter the garden and shrubbery are much indebted to the more showy varieties for the double contrast afforded by their leaves and berries. They are propagated by grafting on four- or five-year-old plants of the common sort and by cuttings.

The best time to cut down Holly is early in the spring, before the sap rises. A sloping cut is preferable to a straight one, as moisture is thus prevented from remaining on the cut portion, and as an additional precaution the wound should be covered with a coating of tar. The side growths should be left, as they will help to draw up the sap.

An excellent and beautiful website for Holly:
 
http://www.thegoddesstree.com/trees/Holly.htm

Mistletoe

Mistletoe
(Viscum album - European Mistletoe Pr CPI;
Phoradendron Ieucarpum; P. flavescens - American
Mistletoe Poison)

Folk Names: All Heal, Birdlime, Devil's Fuge, Donnerbesen, European Mistletoe, Golden Bough, Holy Wood, Lignam sanctae crucis, Misseltoe, Thunderbersem, Witches Broom, Wood of the Cross
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Sun
Element: Sun
Deities: Apollo, Freya, Frigga, Venus, Odin
Powers: Protection, Love, Hunting, Fertility, Health, Exorcism
Ritual  Uses: As is well known, the Druids revered the mistletoe, especially when found growing on an oak. It was (and still is) cut on Midsummer's Day, or else when the Moon is six days old. One stroke of a gold sickle was used to cut the herb, and it wasn't allowed to touch the ground.
Magical Uses: Long used for protection against lightning, disease, misfortune of every kind, fires and so on, it is carried or placed in an appropriate spot for these uses. The leaves and berries are used. Mistletoe is placed in cradles to protect children from being stolen by fairies and replaced with changelings.
  A ring carved of mistletoe wood will ward sicknesses when worn, and the plant will cure fresh wounds quickly when carried (do not apply to the wound).
   Mistletoe is also carried or worn for good luck in hunting and women carry the herb to aid in conception. It has also been utilized in spells designed to capture that elusive state of immortality, and to open locks.
  Laid near the bedroom door, mistletoe gives restful sleep and beautiful dreams, as it does when placed beneath the pillow or hung at the headboard.
  Kiss your love beneath mistletoe and you'll stay in love. Burned, mistletoe banishes evil. Wear it around your neck to attain invisibility. Mistletoe is an all-purpose herb.
[From: Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs]

Mistletoe is an evergreen hemi parasitic plant. It grows on the branches of host deciduous trees and forms clusters or "bushes" from 20 to 60 inches (50-150 cm) in diameter, drawing all its nourishment from the tree on which it grows. Small flowers mature in to sticky, greenish- or yellowish-white berries that remain on the plant throughout the winter. Mistletoe has historically been associated with peace; if enemies met by chance under a tree with mistletoe, they were required to lay down their arms and declare a truce until the next day. Mistletoe was also thought to be the "golden bough" written about in the Aenid by Virgil. Kissing under the mistletoe is a winter tradition that began with the Greek festival of Saturnalia, celebrated in late December. The Druids believed that mistletoe protected its possessors from all misfortunes, and used it as an aphrodisiac, an antidote for poison, and to bestow long life and fertility. In Norse mythology, Balder, the son of Odin, was killed by an arrow made of a mistletoe branch shot by the Norse trickster Loki, who knew that this was the one tree that Balder’s mother Frigga had not enchanted to do her son no harm. One strain of Christian myth teaches that the mistletoe was once the tree that was used for the lumber to make the cross; the plant was said to have shriveled in shame and become a parasite.

Constituents

Amines (acetylcholine, choline, histamine, GABA and tyramine), antioxidant flavonoids (quercitin, chalcone and flavone derivatives), and terpenoids (beta-amyrin, betulinic acid, oleanic acid, beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol, ursolic acid, lupeol and ester combinations), as well as caffeic and myristic acids, mucilage, and tannins.

Parts Used

The entire plant, dried.

Typical Preparations

Traditionally used as a tea or tincture. The anti-cancer drug Iscadore is derived from mistletoe, but mistletoe teas do not have a documented anti-cancer effect.

Summary

There are actually two types of Mistletoe: phoradendron flavescens, which is a decorative that is native to the Eastern seaboard of the North America and is most commonly used in Christmas decorations. The second types, Viscum album, is of European origin and are most commonly found on apple trees, and even more rare growing on oak trees, the latter being highly venerated by ancient Celts and Germans, and used as a ceremonial plant. Mistletoe teas slow the pulse and lower blood pressure. They are most appropriate for treating the symptoms of high blood pressure, for example, headaches or dizziness, rather than as a primary treatment for high blood pressure. Traditional herbal medicine also uses mistletoe to treat arthritic pain and snoring.

Precautions

Mistletoe should be avoided during pregnancy. Only to be administered and used by a practitioner experienced in the use of this product.

http://mountainroseherbs.com/learn/mistletoe.php
 

The word 'mistletoe' is of uncertain etymology; it may be related to German Mist, for dung and Tang for branch, since mistletoe can be spread in the feces of birds moving from tree to tree. However, Old English mistel was also used for basil.


European mistletoe, Viscum album, is a poisonous plant that causes acute gastrointestinal problems including stomach pain, and diarrhea along with low pulse.

The name was originally applied to Viscum album (European Mistletoe, Santalaceae), the only species native in Great Britain and much of Europe. Later the name was further extended to other related species, including Phoradendron serotinum (the Eastern Mistletoe of eastern North America, also Santalaceae). European Mistletoe is readily recognized by its smooth-edged oval evergreen leaves borne in pairs along the woody stem, and waxy white berries in dense clusters of 2 to 6. In America, the Eastern Mistletoe is similar, but has shorter, broader leaves and longer clusters of 10 or more berries. In the United States, Phoradendron flavescens is commercially harvested for Christmas decorations.

Life cycle

Mistletoe in winterMistletoe species grow on a wide range of host trees, and commonly reduce their growth but can kill them with heavy infestation. Viscum album can parasitise more than 200 tree and shrub species. Almost all mistletoes are hemi-parasites, bearing evergreen leaves that do some photosynthesis, and using the host mainly for water and mineral nutrients. However, the mistletoe first sprouts from bird feces[citation needed] on the trunk of the tree and indeed in its early stages of life takes it nutrients from this source.[citation needed] An exception is the leafless quintral, Tristerix aphyllus, which lives deep inside the sugar-transporting tissue of a spiny cactus, appearing only to show its tubular red flowers.[5] The genus Arceuthobium (dwarf mistletoe; Santalaceae) has reduced photosynthesis; as an adult, it manufactures only a small proportion of the sugars it needs from its own photosythesis but as a seedling it actively photosynthesizes until a connection to the host is established.

Some species of the largest family, Loranthaceae, have small, insect-pollinated flowers (as with Santalaceae), but others have spectacularly showy, large, bird-pollinated flowers.

Most mistletoe seeds are spread by birds, such as the Mistle Thrush in Europe, the Phainopepla in southwestern North America, and Dicaeum of Asia and Australia. However, distinguishing between this species and ones of other ecological biomes is not difficult. They derive sustenance and agility through eating the fruits and nuts (drupes). The seeds are excreted in their droppings and stick to twigs, or more commonly the bird grips the fruit in its bill, squeezes the sticky coated seed out to the side, and then wipes its bill clean on a suitable branch.[citation needed] The seeds are coated with a sticky material called viscin (containing both cellulosic strands and mucopolysaccharides), which hardens and attaches the seed firmly to its future host.

Ecological importance


Mistletoe was often considered a pest that kills trees and devalues natural habitats, but was recently recognized as an ecological keystone species, an organism that has a disproportionately pervasive influence over its community.[6] A broad array of animals depend on mistletoe for food, consuming the leaves and young shoots, transferring pollen between plants, and dispersing the sticky seeds. The dense evergreen witches' brooms formed by the dwarf mistletoes (Arceuthobium species) of western North America also make excellent locations for roosting and nesting of the Northern Spotted Owls and the Marbled Murrelets. In Australia the Diamond Firetails and Painted Honeyeaters are recorded as nesting in different mistletoes. This behavior is probably far more widespread than currently recognized; more than 240 species of birds that nest in foliage in Australia have been recorded nesting in mistletoe, representing more than 75% of the resident avifauna.[citation needed]

A study of mistletoe in junipers concluded that more juniper berries sprout in stands where mistletoe is present, as the mistletoe attracts berry-eating birds which also eat juniper berries.[7] Such interactions lead to dramatic influences on diversity, as areas with greater mistletoe densities support higher diversities of animals. Thus, rather than being a pest, mistletoe can have a positive effect on biodiversity, providing high quality food and habitat for a broad range of animals in forests and woodlands worldwide.

Other uses


The sticky juice of mistletoe berries was used as adhesive to trap small animals or birds. In South Africa it is called "Bird lime" in English and voelent in Afrikaans. A handful of ripe fruits are chewed until sticky, and the mass is then rubbed between the palms of the hands to form long extremely sticky strands which are then coiled around small thin tree branches where birds perch. When a bird lands on this it gets stuck to the branch and is then easy to catch by hand.

The sticky seed of the mistletoe on a branch.

And from a favorite website of mine: http://www.alchemy-works.com/herb_mistletoe.html

Mistletoe

Viscum album

The Druids considered mistletoe a holy plant that protected from evil and had great medicinal value. Mistletoe didn't begin quite so well in Norse mythology: the arrow that killed Baldur, beloved of the gods, was carved from mistletoe. The Norse gods then judged that henceforth mistletoe would be under the command of the goddess of love, in order to negate its use for hate--that's one explanation of why those who stand under the mistletoe are expected to kiss. The other explanation is that mistletoe was previously incorporated into Saturnalian wedding celebrations (Saturnalia was a Roman winter festival upon which Christmas was based). A Sun herb, mistletoe fights against despair, protects, and helps in hunting and conception. Unusual for a Sun herb, this magick herb is connected to dreams and to learning about immortality through dreams. It has been made into wands and is said to ward off werewolves and thieves. In the Ogham alphabet, mistletoe is a Chieftain associated with spiritual healing and development.

In Herbalism

According to Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Anthroposophy, mistletoe is "insanely aristocratic," because it grows according to its own rhythms, "as if the Earth were not there." It grows in any direction, often forming a strange ball up in a tree, it flowers in the winter, and it has berries all year long. He argued that mistletoe was the perfect remedy for cancer and developed it into a specially crafted medicine called Iscador, which is used in Europe (and which is not the same thing as an extract - mistletoe is poisonous). Mistletoe is also known as Birdlime, Herbe de la Croix, Mystyldene, and Lignum Crucis. This is chopped mistletoe harvested in Europe from apple trees.

Mistletoe is a parasite, or, as the Wikipedia puts it, a "hemiparasite." These plants grow on a host tree, tapping into the transport system of the tree for minerals and water. As you can see from the photo, they are green, so carry out photosynthesis on their own. The Wikipedia says that there are several kinds of mistletoe. This photo was taken in a parking lot in Pickens County, South Carolina, USA. The oak tree that these plants are growing in has lost all its leaves, but mistletoe is an evergreen.

Willow

Willow
(Salix alba) G.

Folk Names: Osier, Pussy Willow, Saille, Salicyn Willow, Saugh Tree, Tree of Enchantment, White Willow, Witches' Aspirin, Withe, Withy
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Moon
Element: Water
Deities: Artemis, Ceres, Hecate, Persephone, Hera, Mercury, Belili, Belinus
Powers: Love, Love Divination, Protection, Healing
Ritual Uses: Burial mounds in Britain which are sited near marches and lakes were often lined with willows, probably for symbolic associations with death.
Magical Uses: Willow leaves are carried or used in mixtures to attract love, and the wood is used to fashion magickal wands dedicated to Moon magic. If you wish to know if you will be married in the new year, on New Year's Eve throw your shoe or boot into a willow tree. If it doesn't catch and stay in the branches the first time, you have eight more tries. If you succeed in trapping your shoe in the tree you will be wed within twelve months - but you'll also have to shake or climb the tree to retrieve your shoe.  
   All parts of the willow guard against evil and the can be carried or placed in the home for this purpose. Knock on a willow tree ('knock on wood') to avert evil.
   The leaves, bark and wood of the willow are also utilized in healing spells.
   If you wish to conjure spirits, mix crushed willow bark with sandalwood and burn at the waning Moon outdoors.
   Magical brooms, especially Witch's brooms, are traditionally bound with a willow branch.
[From: Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs]



     Willows all have abundant watery bark, sap which is heavily charged with salicylic acid, soft, usually pliant, tough wood, slender branches, and large, fibrous, often stoloniferous roots. The roots are remarkable for their toughness, size, and tenacity to life, and roots readily grow from aerial parts of the plant.

The leaves are typically elongated but may also be round to oval, frequently with a serrated margin. All the buds are lateral; no absolutely terminal bud is ever formed. The buds are covered by a single scale, enclosing at its base two minute opposite buds, alternately arranged, with two small, opposite, scale-like leaves. This first pair soon fall, and the later leaves are alternately arranged. The leaves are simple, feather-veined, and typically linear-lanceolate. Usually they are serrate, rounded at base, acute or acuminate. The leaf petioles are short, the stipules often very conspicuous, looking like tiny round leaves and sometimes remaining for half the summer. On some species, however, they are small, inconspicuous, and fugacious (soon falling). In color the leaves show a great variety of greens, ranging from yellowish to bluish.

Flowers
   Willows are dioecious with male and female flowers appearing as catkins on different plants; the catkins are produced early in the spring, often before the leaves, or as the new leaves open.

The staminate (male) flowers are without either calyx or corolla; they consist simply of stamens, varying in number from two to ten, accompanied by a nectariferous gland and inserted on the base of a scale which is itself borne on the rachis of a drooping raceme called a catkin, or ament. This scale is oval and entire and very hairy. The anthers are rose colored in the bud but orange or purple after the flower opens, they are two-celled and the cells open longitudinally. The filaments are threadlike, usually pale yellow, and often hairy.

The pistillate (female) flowers are also without calyx or corolla; and consist of a single ovary accompanied by a small flat nectar gland and inserted on the base of a scale which is likewise borne on the rachis of a catkin. The ovary is one-celled, the style two-lobed, and the ovules numerous.

 Fruit
    Open capsules of Salix cinerea with seeds and hairsThe fruit is a small, one-celled, two-valved, cylindrical beaked capsule containing numerous tiny (0.1 mm) seeds. The seeds are furnished with long, silky, white hairs, which allow the fruit to be widely dispersed by the wind.

Almost all willows take root very readily from cuttings or where broken branches lie on the ground. There are a few exceptions, including the goat willow and peachleaf willow. One famous example of such growth from cuttings involves the poet Alexander Pope, who begged a twig from a parcel tied with twigs sent from Spain to Lady Suffolk. This twig was planted and thrived, and legend has it that all of England's weeping willows are descended from this first one.[2]


Willows are often planted on the borders of streams so that their interlacing roots may protect the bank against the action of the water. Frequently the roots are much larger than the stem which grows from them.

A number of willow species were widely planted in Australia, notably as erosion control measures along watercourses. They are now regarded as an invasive weed and many catchment management authorities are removing them to be replaced with native trees.


Willow roots grow widespread and are very aggressive in seeking out moisture; for this reason, they can become problematic when planted in residential areas, where the roots are notorious for clogging French drains, drainage systems, weeping tiles, septic systems, storm drains, and sewer systems, particularly older, tile, concrete, or ceramic pipes. Newer, PVC sewer pipes are much less leaky at the joints, and are therefore less susceptible to problems from willow roots; the same is true of water supply piping.

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Willow History


     Willow was often the tree most sought by the village wise-woman, since it has so many medicinal properties, and eventually the Willow's healing and religious qualities became one and the tree became called 'Witches Tree'.

The Willow is also associated with the Fae. The wind in the Willows is the whisperings of a fairy in the ear of a poet.

The willow is a Moon tree sacred to the Goddess. Its groves were considered so magickal that priests, priestesses and all types of artisans sat among these trees to gain eloquence, inspiration, skills and prophecies.

People once carried a piece of willow with them in order to ease the fear of death. Bark from the tree was often used in funeral pyres.

Willow branches are said to be the best for divining water,

channelling Earth energy and to find lost objects.


Willow and Herbalism

     In traditional herbal medicine, white willow was widely used for fevers and other "hot" conditions. It was one of the first herbs to be scientifically investigated, and in the 19th century, a French chemist, Leroux, extracted the active constituent and named it "salicine". By 1852 this chemical was being produced synthetically, and by 1899 a less irritant and unpleasant-tasting variant of the substance (acetylsalicylic acid) was manufactured and marketed as Aspirin, the first of the modern generation of plant-derived drugs.

Bark
     In modern herbalism only the bark is generally used. It is prescribed for many inflammatory conditions, including rheumatism and arthritis; it helps control fevers, and relieves neuralgia, headaches, and pain in general. As a gentle bitter, it also acts as a mild digestive stimulant and is used for gastroenteritis and diarrhoea related to heat and inflammation. Harvest in summer.

Leaves
   In the past, the leaves were a popular home remedy, used much as the bark today. Willow leaf tea was taken for fevers or colicky pains and the infusion was recommended for dandruff.